Monday, April 25, 2011

Our President has been described as a “Constitutional scholar” but his recorded words, as reported on today’s Democracy Now, show less familiarity with the document than any schoolkid has. You know, the innocent until proven guilty stuff we credit that fundamental document as assuring each of us.

President Obama was questioned by supporters of accused U.S. Army whistleblower Bradley Manning last week at a fundraiser in San Francisco. Obama briefly discussed the issue after his event was disrupted by protesters criticizing the government’s harsh treatment of Manning. The president’s comments were recorded on a cell phone.

President Barack Obama and protester Logan Price: "We’re a nation of laws! We don’t let individuals make their own decisions about how the laws operate. He broke the law."

Logan Price: "Didn’t he release evidence of war crimes?”

Obama: "What he did was he dumped…"

Price: "Isn’t that just the same thing as what Daniel Ellsberg did?"

Obama: "No it wasn’t the same thing. Ellsberg’s material wasn’t classified in the same way."

President Obama openly declared that Manning—who has yet to stand trial—has broken the law. Obama also responded to a question comparing Manning to Pentagon analyst Daniel Ellsberg who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers, detailing the secret history of U.S.-involvement in Vietnam. According to President Obama, the cases are not similar because, “Ellsberg’s material wasn’t classified the same way.” In fact, the material disclosed in the Pentagon Papers was designated Top Secret—the highest secrecy designation under law—whereas the material allegedly leaked by Manning to Wikileaks was marked “secret” or “classified,” among the lowest level secrecy designations.

P.S. We’re still asking for phone calls to `Olelo to ask for better scheduling of Democracy Now on Oahu television. After cancelling the evening program entirely, it was reinstated but at 11 p.m.-midnight M-T-Th-F. Since `Olelo staff has generally not returned phone calls, the suggestion is to call and leave a message at 534-0007 x 103, which is the extension of Roy Amemiya, their CEO. This program should be on every evening at a time when more people can watch it. Thanks for helping out with this. .

Obama continues to disappoint. Time to consider a third party candidate for President. A candidate that understands the Constitution and International Law and whose actions are one of respect.Our country with Obama has continued the Bush/Cheney path of distruction.